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Lost Bartlesville: Jim Ford loved our town …

Lost Bartlesville: Jim Ford loved our town …

Lost Bartlesville: Jim Ford loved our town …

Rita Thurman Barnes, who has always had a love for words, writes about her beloved Bartlesville reflections as well as other topics from the heart in books as well as in a column for the Examiner-Enterprise for more than 10 years.

Everyone in Bartlesville was a fan of “Jim Ford”. We got ready for work or school in the morning listening to Jim on KWON as he brought us the news, weather and our favorite music in his own inimitable style — laid back and easy.

While his style of broadcasting might have been easy-going, his work was impeccable and always right on the money. It’s the voice of “Jim Ford” we remember when so many of the important things (both pleasant and not so pleasant) occurred in Bartlesville’s recent past. It was his voice that kept us up to snuff on both the big and little things we could expect as we headed out to begin our day.

Since 1959, Jim Ford was the voice of Bartlesville area radio. We felt as if he was part of our family because of his love for all things Bartlesville. He always had a wave or a friendly hello when you saw him at his favorite Chinese restaurant sharing lunch with the wife he loved so much. His interview style was definitely one of a kind and he put everyone at ease when they were in the interview hot seat at KWON.

The unforgettable Jim Ford, Bartlesville’s longtime and much loved radio personality was born “Jim” Willaford II on October 11, 1936, in Ogden, Utah. His parents, James Edward “Ed” and Ruby (Morris) Willaford actually lived in Los Angeles, Calif., but were in Utah visiting relatives at the time of Ford’s birth. His family originally came from Tennessee and Jim was an only child. His father had five brothers and one sister and his mother, Ruby, was born in Birmingham, England. She was also an only child.

Jim attended Raymond Avenue Elementary School, located at 56th and Raymond in Los Angeles. His parents moved to Downey, where he graduated in 1955. He played football and enjoyed making amateur home movies, often spoofing popular TV shows of the day. Jim attended the University of Oklahoma and began his radio career with KNOR in Norman under the on-air name of “Jim Dandy”.

He met the Muskogee-born, Lida Elaine Bennett, known as Elaine, while they were both attending the University of Oklahoma. They dated and the relationship became serious. Prior to dating Elaine, Jim had applied for a position with the Los Angeles Police Department. He received notice that he was accepted into the LAPD academy. He chose instead to remain in Oklahoma and marry the love of his life. They were married in 1958 in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and made their home in Norman where Jim left OU to work in radio full time.

In 1959, Jim was offered the job of program director at KWON in Bartlesville and he and Elaine moved to Bartlesville. They had their first daughter, Robin on November 28, 1959. They originally lived in a rented duplex in the 300 block SE Avondale in the relatively undeveloped Pennington Hills area. They bought a house in the new subdivision of Oak Park at 505 Lahoma Drive. Their second child, Kyle Scott Willaford was born on March 21, 1961. Their third child, Mary Joellen was born on September 22, 1963. The Willafords cherished their eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jim’s first passion was radio. He loved his work and loved the Bartlesville community. He was an avid model railroad enthusiast and a member of the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters and the National Association of Broadcasters. He also served as the deputy director and later director of the Washington County Civil Defense administration — now Washington County Emergency Management. He began this hobby as a boy and continued it all the way to adulthood. His family still has many of his model railroad trains and other items.

Jim recalled to his son, Kyle, the many wonderful times he had in radio in the Bartlesville community. He was the voice of Phillips 66’er basketball radio broadcasts, along with KWON manager and longtime friend, the late Tony Kountoupas. He also loved covering the huge 66th birthday celebration for K.S. “Boots” Adams where he met former President Eisenhower.

He also shared with his son being at a reception at Hillcrest Country Club on November 22, 1963 when plans for a new construction project called Eastland Shopping Center were announced. At the same time they heard the news of the assassination of President Kennedy.

Jim even had the notoriety of being broadcast around the world. During the height of the Phillips Ekofisk project, many former Bartians were working in Stavanger, Norway. Jim was then hosting the morning radio show on KWON and Phillips decided to broadcast that show to their employees in Norway to give them a taste of home. Jim loved covering the news locally, whether it was a fire, flood, or a city council meeting.

His son Kyle recalled of his father, “He loved this community because it was like no other. He also loved serving in his capacity as Civil Defense Director. He headed up Washington County’s weather spotters to help warn the community of impending storms. He was on the scene for the 1974 flood, the 1982 tornado and the infamous flood of 1986. He loved the excitement and challenge that his position brought and he loved serving his community. Due to poor health, Dad was forced to retire from the Civil Defense in the early 90’s.”

The voice of Jim Ford fell silent on March 18, 2000. Bartlesville remembers him with affection for his many years of service and dedication to the community. But we remember him most of all as our friend.

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